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TC - Minutes - 09-05-24Minutes of the Regular ROSEMEAD TRAFFIC COMMISSION MEETING September 5, 2024 The special meeting of the Rosemead Traffic Commission was called to order by Chair Drange at 7:01 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 8838 E. Valley Boulevard, Rosemead, California. FLAG SALUTE: Vice -Chair Lang INVOCATION: Chair Drange PRESENT: Commissioner Tran, Commissioner Trieu, Vice -Chair Lang and Chair Drange ABSENT: Commissioner Nguyen STAFF PRESENT: Acting Director of Public Works Leung and Commission Liaison Nguyen ADMINISTRATION OF OATH OF OFFICE: Councilmember Armenta administered the oath of office for John Tran. Commission Liaison Nguyen administered the oath of office for Jake Trieu and Alexander Lang. 1. PUBLIC COMMENTS The City received a public comment via email from Barbara Murphy congratulating the newly appointed commissioner John Tran. 2. CONSENT CALENDAR Chair Drange asked Traffic Commissioners if anyone would like to make revisions or additions to the minutes of July 11, 2024 and August 1, 2024. Vice Chair Lang made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Tran, to accept consent calendar. Vote resulted in: Yes: Drange, Lang, Tran, Trieu No: None Abstain: None Absent: Nguyen 3. NEW BUSINESS A. Traffic Calming Measures for Various Street Segments (6 Segments) Location 1: Pine Street Between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue Associate Engineer Richter provided a brief description of the item and presented a PowerPoint presentation of the studies that were conducted. Associate Engineer Richter explained that the City received a resident request to review the segment of Pine Street, between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue. In response to this request and on behalf of the Rosemead Traffic Commission Meeting Minutes of September S, 1024 Page 1 of 9 City, engineering staff has completed a traffic review of this segment of Pine Street to determine if the street segment qualifies for the installation of traffic calming measures. After a thorough review of existing field and traffic conditions and per the guidelines in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD), California Vehicle Code (CVC), and based on engineering judgement, it was determined that the segment along Pine Street between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue meets the requirements for the installation of traffic calming devices along the street. Vice Chair Lang asked how wide Pine Street is. Associate Engineer Richter replied the north segment of Newmark Ave to Garvey Ave is about 30 feet wide. The south segment of Newmark Ave to Graves Ave is about 35 feet wide. Vice Chair Lang commented that the proposed recommendations do not appear to be adequate in slowing traffic speeds and asked why white side striping was not considered. Associate Engineer Richter replied a part of the reason the white side striping along the segment was not recommended is because the street is not wide enough. White side striping is typically recommended along streets that are 40 feet wide to allow sufficient parking space on both sides of the street. The reason for changing the speed limit sign from 20 to 25 is due to the citywide speed survey and to match the state standards. Chair Drange asked if pedestrian crosswalk lights were considered for the existing mid -block crosswalk Associate Engineer Richter replied it was not considered due to this location having good visibility and the signs are still in good reflective condition. There are also rumble strips as vehicles approach the crosswalk, and the traffic counts did not show high volumes of vehicles. Commissioner Tran asked whether speed humps are not being considered because there is no official policy in place or if a recommendation needs to be made to the City Council for approval. Associate Engineer Richter replied the City is in the process of developing a traffic calming policy and would need to be considered and approved by City Council prior to the recommendation and installation of a speed hump. It was also mentioned that speed humps are not considered an official traffic calming device per California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Acting Director of Public Works Leung noted that there are various levels of traffic calming measures to consider, with speed humps typically being a higher-level measure that is considered after initial measures have been implemented. Commissioner Tran asked what the timeline is for the consideration of the traffic calming policy. Acting Director of Public Works Leung replied the policy is still in development and staff is anticipating by end of this year. Vice Chair Lang asked to clarify the purpose of the double yellow centerline Associate Engineer Richter replied the double yellow centerline will help visually narrow the travel lanes as there is no marked centerline along Pine Street. Rosemead Traffic Commission Meeting Minutes of September 5, 2024 Page 2 of 9 Commissioner Trieu asked once the double yellow centerline is installed, will that make the curbs along that area red curb. Associate Engineer Richter replied there is permitted parking on one side of the street, but not on the other. Due to the street being 35 feet wide, one side of the street will be slightly wider to allow enough space for a travel lane and parking. The other side of the street will be narrower due to the permitted parking on only the east side of the street. So there will be parking space, two travel lanes, and then red curb. Commissioner Tran made a motion, seconded by Vice Chair Lang, to approve staff recommendations. Vote resulted in: Yes: Drange, Lang, Tran, Trieu No: None Abstain: None Absent: Nguyen Location 2: Falling Leaf Avenue between Garvev Avenue and Graves Avenue Associate Engineer Richter provided a brief description of the item and presented a PowerPoint presentation of the studies that were conducted. Associate Engineer Richter explained that the City received a resident request to review the segment of Falling Leaf Avenue, between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue. In response to this request and on behalf of the City, engineering staff has completed a traffic review of this segment of Falling Leaf Avenue to determine if the street segment qualifies for the installation of traffic calming measures. After a thorough review of existing field and traffic conditions and per the guidelines in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD), California Vehicle Code (CVC), and based on engineering judgement, it was determined that the segment along Falling Leaf Avenue between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue meets the requirements for the installation of traffic calming devices along the street. Commissioner Tran asked about the 85% and 15% in the speed survey. Associate Engineer Richter replied the 15 percentile speed was vehicles driving higher than 31 mph. The 85 percentile was vehicles driving at 31 miles per hour or below. Vice Chair Lang asked how wide Falling Leaf is. Associate Engineer Richter replied the roadway is approximately 26 feet wide. Commissioner Trieu mentioned when comparing the speed survey data from both location 1 and location 2, Falling Leaf Ave is a straight way road with 30% more traffic flow, yet the traffic speed is two miles less. He asked if there is a way to check what makes Pine Street more susceptible to speeding. Associate Engineer Richter replied it could be due to the width of the street. With a narrower road, vehicles will typically travel slower, which is the pattern we have noticed. Vice Chair Lang made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Tran, to approve staff recommendations. Vote resulted in: Rosemead Traffic Commission Meeting Minutes of September 5, 2024 Page 3 of 9 Yes: Drange, Lang, Tran, Trieu No: None Abstain: None Absent: Nguyen Location 3: Kelburn Avenue between Garvev Avenue and Graves Avenue Chair Drange opened the public comment period. The City received a public comment via email from Mike Wu regarding traffic concerns on Kelburn Ave between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue. He mentioned cars speeding with loud exhaust pipes as well as traffic hazards at the Banh Mi Che Cali restaurant at the comer of Garvey Avenue and Kelburn Avenue. He explained it is difficult to see cars pulling out of the restaurant driveway due to parks cars on Kelburn Avenue and suggested it be painted red curb from Garvey Avenue to the driveway of the parking lot on southbound Kelburn Avenue. The City received a public comment via email from Anthony Yang expressing traffic safety concerns along Kelbum Avenue and supported the recommendation to install a centerline on the road. He also requested the City to consider installing a speed hump on Kelburn Avenue. The City received a public comment via email from Gabby Vasquez recommending for a roundabout at the intersection of Newmark Street and Kelbum Avenue She expressed safety concerns due to speeding vehicles and previous accidents that have taken place in the area. Chair Drange closed the public comment period. Associate Engineer Richter provided a brief description of the item and presented a PowerPoint presentation of the studies that were conducted. Associate Engineer Richter explained that the City received a resident request to review the segment of Kelbum Avenue, between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue. The city is requesting to evaluate this segment for the installation of traffic calming measures. In response to this request and on behalf of the City, engineering staff has completed a traffic review of this segment of Kelbum Avenue to determine if the street segment qualifies for the installation of traffic calming measures. After a thorough review of existing field and traffic conditions and per the guidelines in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD), California Vehicle Code (CVC), and based on engineering judgement, it was determined that the segment along Kelbum Avenue between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue meets the requirements for the installation of traffic calming devices along the street. Commissioner Tran recalled the public comment regarding the roundabouts and asked if it was considered. Associate Engineer Richter replied it was not considered at this time as there are many factors that need to be considered, including space. If there is not sufficient road space, installing a roundabout can be challenging, especially on Garvey Avenue where there are a lot of trucks traveling. Chair Drange asked if Rosemead has any roundabouts and if there is a policy for the installation of roundabouts. Rosemead Traffic Commission Meeting Minutes of September 5, 2024 Page 4 of 9 Associate Engineer Richter replied roundabouts just need to have enough road space. She recalled Commissioner Tran's earlier comment and explained that a roundabout would also not be an option for the intersection of Newmark Avenue and Kelbum Avenue due to the limited road space. There needs to be a minimum diagonal of 125 feet from each comer. To her knowledge, there are no roundabouts in the City of Rosemead. Acting Director of Public Works Leung commented he thinks roundabouts are an effective measure, however, space is a major issue. He also mentioned that roundabouts are more commonly found on arterial and major streets than on local residential roads. Commissioner Tran recalled the public comment regarding requesting installing red curb from Garvey Avenue to the driveway of the parking lot on southbound Kelbum Avenue next to restaurant. He asked if that request is appropriate and would be considered. Acting Director of Public Works Leung replied there is an existing request for this line of sight item. Commissioner Tran asked if a resident would need to complete a form in order to request for red curb at this location. Acting Director of Public Works Leung replied the City has an online portal called Citizens Request Management (CRM), where residents can submit these types of requests. They may also come in person to City Hall. Vice Chair Lang asked whether there was an action item in response to Mike Wu's public comment about parked vehicles on southbound Kelbum Avenue, where drivers are opening their doors into oncoming traffic near the restaurant. Acting Director of Public Works Leung replied that one aspect of the issue is line -of -sight safety, while the other involves individuals being careless when opening doors. The matter is currently under review and awaiting approval. Vice Chair Lang asked if there is a reason why the speed feedback sign was recommended for the Pine Street segment item and not the others. Associate Engineer Richter replied it was recommended because of the location of Jay Imperial Park and to ensure if there are any children present and if there is a mid -block crosswalk, it is taken into consideration in the review. Commissioner Trieu agreed with Vice Chair Lang about a speed feedback sign on Kelburn Avenue. He also agreed with the public comment regarding the line of sight issue at Garvey Avenue and Kelbum Avenue. Chair Drange asked what the cost of the speed feedback sign is. Associate Engineer Richter replied approximately $8,000. Vice Chair Lang emphasized that while we cannot control an individual's disregard for safety when opening their car door, we should still review the area to assess any line -of -sight issues. Commissioner Trieu made a motion, seconded by Vice Chair Lang, to approve staff recommendations. Vote resulted in: Rosemead Traffic Commission Meeting Minutes of September 5, 2024 Page 5 of 9 Yes: Drange, Lang, Tran, Trieu No: None Abstain: None Absent: Nguyen Location 4: Denton Avenue between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue Chair Drange opened the public comment period. The City received a public comment via email from Arturo Perez expressing safety concerns about speeding vehicles on Denton Avenue. He noted that the addition of a centerline could create issues with parked cars opening their doors and also emphasized the need for increased police enforcement to address speeding. The City received a public comment via email from Vincent suggesting stop signs at the comer of Denton Avenue and Newmark Avenue to resolve speeding and accidents. Chair Drange closed the public comment period. Associate Engineer Richter provided a brief description of the item and presented a PowerPoint presentation of the studies that were conducted. Associate Engineer Richter explained that the City received a resident request to review the segment of Denton Avenue, between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue. The city is requesting to evaluate this segment for the installation of traffic calming measures. In response to this request and on behalf of the City, engineering staff has completed a traffic review of this segment of Denton Avenue to determine if the street segment qualifies for the installation of traffic calming measures. After a thorough review of existing field and traffic conditions and per the guidelines in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD), California Vehicle Code (CVC), and based on engineering judgement, it was determined that the segment along Denton Avenue, between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue, meets the requirements for the installation of traffic calming devices along the street. Commissioner Tran asked if there is a stop sign at the comer of Denton Avenue and New Avenue. He recalled the public comment requesting to add a stop sign at that intersection. Associate Engineer Richter replied that while there is a stop sign on Newmark Avenue, there are no stop signs along Denton Avenue in that segment. She clarified that all -way stops or stop signs, in general, are not considered traffic calming devices. A stop sign warrant review would need to be conducted to determine eligibility, but it is unlikely that this location would meet the criteria due to the low volume of traffic on the road. Commissioner Tran asked how much it costs to conduct a stop warrant study Associate Engineer Richter replied it varies depending on the intersection. Acting Director of Public Works Leung added that this is something we can pursue, as most of the cost involves data collection and analysis. However, based on the data already collected, it appears that this location may not qualify for an all -way stop due to the low traffic volume. Typically, with the data collection and analysis, the cost of the study can go up to four thousand or five thousand dollars. Rosemead Trak Commission Meeting Minutes of September 5, 2024 Page 6 of 9 Vice Chair Lang made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Trieu, to approve staff recommendations. Vote resulted in: Yes: Drange, Lang, Tran, Trieu No: None Abstain: None Absent: Nguyen Location 5: Strathmore Avenue between Garvev Avenue and Graves Avenue Associate Engineer Richter provided a brief description of the item and presented a PowerPoint presentation of the studies that were conducted. Associate Engineer Richter explained that the City received a resident request to review the segment of Strathmore Avenue, between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue. The city is requesting to evaluate this segment for the installation of traffic calming measures. In response to this request and on behalf of the City, engineering staff has completed a traffic review of this segment of Strathmore Avenue to determine if the street segment qualifies for the installation of traffic calming measures. After a thorough review of existing field and traffic conditions and per the guidelines in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD), California Vehicle Code (CVC), and based on engineering judgement, it was determined that the segment along Strathmore Avenue between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue meets the requirements for the installation of traffic calming devices along the street. Commissioner Tran made a motion, seconded by Vice Chair Lang, to approve staff recommendations. Vote resulted in: Yes: Drange, Lang, Tran, Trieu No: None Abstain: None Absent: Nguyen Location 6: Brisahton Street between Garvev Avenue and Garvalia Avenue to Del Mar Avenue Associate Engineer Richter provided a brief description of the item and presented a PowerPoint presentation of the studies that were conducted. Associate Engineer Richter explained that the City received a resident request to review the segment of Strathmore Avenue, between Garvey Avenue and Graves Avenue. The city is requesting to evaluate this segment for the installation of traffic calming measures. In response to this request and on behalf of the City, engineering staff has completed a traffic review of this segment of Strathmore Avenue to determine if the street segment qualifies for the installation of traffic calming measures. After a thorough review of existing field and traffic conditions and per the guidelines in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD), California Vehicle Code (CVC), and based on engineering judgement, it was determined that the segment along Brighton Street between Garvey Avenue and Garvalia Avenue, to Del Mar Avenue, meets the requirements for the installation of traffic calming devices along the street. Acting Director of Public Works Leung asked to explain what RPMs are. Rosemead Traffic Commission Meeting Minutes of September 5, 2024 Page 7 of 9 Associate Engineer Richter explained they are reflective pavement markings placed into the road and we are recommending installing them right next to the double yellow centedine. Vice Chair Lang asked if the RPMs are flat with the street or slightly recessed. Associate Engineer Richter replied they are slightly raised. Vice Chair Lang asked if there is an existing curve ahead sign on both Brighton Street and Garvalia Street as vehicles approach. Associate Engineer Richter replied there is no existing curve ahead sign, however, it could be placed here to add more visibility. A chevron sign could also be recommended, but it would be optional as this is a residential street. Commissioner Trieu referred to Figure A in the PowerPoint and asked whether the shrub is tall enough to obstruct the view of oncoming traffic turning northbound. He asked if we could request vegetation management. Associate Engineer Richter replied we could add vegetation maintenance to the proposed recommendation. Vice Chair Lang asked if the shrub belongs to the city. Acting Director of Public Works Leung responded that there are some conflicts between different sets of codes regarding this issue. However, it appears that the shrub is nearly overhanging onto the roadway and should be addressed by the city. Commissioner Tran made a motion, seconded by Vice Chair Lang, to approve staff recommendations, and to include vegetation maintenance. Vote resulted in: Yes: Drange, Lang, Tran, Trieu No: None Abstain: None Absent: Nguyen 4. MATTERS FROM STAFF Acting Director of Public Works Leung thanked the commissioners for their time and efficiency. 5. COMMISSIONER REPORTS Chair Drange asked if there is any update on repaving and bicycle lanes. Acting Director of Public Works Leung replied the city is in the process of preparing the pavement rehab project for 2024-25, and that will be part of the discussion. We hope to bring back some infomration in the next commission meeting. Commissioner Tran asked what bicycle lanes they were referring to. Rosemead Traffic Commission Meeting Minutes of September S, 2024 Page 8 of 9 Chair Drange replied that in 2012, the City Council approved a bicycle plan, but the City has not yet moved forward with its implementation. In recent discussions, there was a request for the City to explore the feasibility of adding bicycle lanes during repaving projects. Chair Drange requested that the agenda items for the street segments be listed separately for the next meeting. 6. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:32 p.m. The next Traffic Commission meeting is scheduled for October 3, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. and will take place at the Rosemead City Hall, City Council Chambers, 8838 East Valley Boulevard. Z ID n a' ATTEST: Albert Leung Interim City Engineer Rosemead Traffic Commission Meeting Minutes of September 5, 2024 Page 9 of 9